House office picks Saflink's biometric software

Saflink Corp., a developer and integrator of biometric security solutions, announced May 30 that the House of Representatives Office of the Legislative Counsel is using its biometric authentication software, SAF2000 for the Enterprise.The counsel's office is the legislative drafting service of the House of Representatives. Its staff provides legislative drafting assistance to representatives on an as-needed basis. The decision to use Saflink was made after an extensive pilot, the company said."To our knowledge, this is the first initiative in the House or Senate that uses biometric authentication to provide information security," said Walter Hamilton, vice president of business development at Saflink of Bellevue, Wash.Hamilton said he hopes this deal, worth $36,000, will lead to more work in the House and Senate.Saflink provides multibiometric software solutions to verify individual identity, protect information and eliminate passwords. SAF2000 supports a variety of authentication methods, including finger image identification, iris recognition, speaker verification and face recognition. "The office believes it has selected a system that will adequately protect the files and working documents entrusted to it as it discharges its duties for the House of Representatives," said Lynne Richardson, office administrator for the Office of the Legislative Counsel.